Real Estate Firm to Donate Suite to NAACP

A commercial real estate firm formed in January to promote economic redevelopment in African American communities inaugurated an office building Wednesday and announced it would donate one of the suites to the Compton Chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

The 11,000-square-foot building at 1301 E. Compton Blvd. was purchased for an undisclosed price by the Kwanzaa Corp., which is based in Culver City.

The firm hopes to attract professional tenants such as doctors, lawyers and nonprofit organizations, said Ben Harrison Tyler, Kwanzaa's secretary-treasurer.

"Our philosophy is really simple," said Tyler. "We're trying to show the inner city that there are young African Americans out there doing positive things."

Kwanzaa is a seven-day ceremony celebrated by people of African ancestry that focuses on the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work, responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith, he said.